Markus Anfang on the training schedule and his return to a former club

Werder’s head coach didn’t just treat his players to some free time because of the large gap in between fixtures, but also because the team are about to embark on a very busy period of matches. “The lads needed some time to clear their heads. There’s not been much chance to have a break recently, so hopefully the days off have done them all some good.”

Markus Anfang knows better than anyone that good preparation against our next opponent will be critical. The head coach, assistant coach Florian Junge, and players Nicolai Rapp and Lars Lukas Mai will all be going back to their old stomping ground. “I had an intense year in Darmstadt, and I really enjoyed it,” commented Anfang. “I took charge of a team with real potential, and they came on well as a group. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to experience the atmosphere of the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor as head coach of the home side.”

He’s now returning to the “Bölle” as the head coach of the opposition, and is expecting to face “a really good, confident team”, who are just one point and one place behind SV Werder in the table. Anfang is aware of Darmstadt’s strengths and warns that there is more to their team than just the brilliant strike partnership of Philip Tietz (eight goals) and Luca Pfeiffer (five goals). “They also have great options off the bench, and they’re an experienced group who will be a real challenge for us.”